Current chemotherapy for tuberculosis (TB) fails to eliminate rapidly the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacilli and to control TB globally. Treatment for drug-susceptible TB today requires 6-9 months of multidrug therapy (see Whorwell, World Health Organization (WHO). Global tuberculosis report 2013. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/91355/1/9789241564656_eng.pdf (2013)). As for TB patients with multi drug resistant (MDR)-TB infections, treatment is endured for two years and is unsuccessful in more than 50% of the cases.
To improve TB control globally, shorter, effective, and well-tolerated treatments for latent TB infection is desired as this is the only way to reduce the development of resistance against the new chemical entities.